Chocolate-Peanut Butter Ice Cream

As much as I love ice cream, I cannot believe that this is the first time I have made it this summer!  Summer is nearly over, I actually start school today, and this is the first ice cream recipe!  But now that I had my first taste of homemade ice cream in a looong time, you can bet that I will be making more in the near future.  This is a classic combination and it will help beat these last few days of summer heat.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Ice Cream
Source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
Yields about 1 quart


Ingredients
Ice Cream:
2 cups half-and-half
1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter


Peanut Butter Patties:
6 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar


Directions
Ice Cream:
Whisk together the half-and-half, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a large saucepan.  Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it comes to a full, rolling boil (it will start to foam up).  Remove from the heat and whisk in the peanut butter, stirring until thoroughly blended.  


Chill the mixture thoroughly, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.


Peanut Butter Patties:
Mix together the peanut butter and sugar in a small bowl.  Line a dinner plate with plastic wrap.  Pinch off small pieces of the peanut butter mixture, about 1/2 teaspoon each, and drop them onto the dinner plate.  Cover with plastic wrap and freeze the patties thoroughly.


Fold the patties into the ice cream as you remove it from the machine (be sure to keep patties in the freezer until you are just ready to fold them in, otherwise they will melt).  Freeze ice cream for 2-4 hours before serving so flavors can meld.